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28 October 2010

Getting to Know You Thursdays with Christine Johnson

Please welcome Christine Johnson to my blog today. Christine has a new book out with the Love Inspired Historical line this November and is her first book with Steeple Hill.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hello everyone! I'm a debut author with Steeple Hill's Love Inspired Historical line, and I absolutely love writing for them. It's a dream come true. That dream took a long time arriving, and I got a little impatient from time to time, but in the end God's timing is always perfect. I finished my first manuscript fifteen years ago. Even though my husband like it (probably because he came up with the title), it was pretty awful and deserved to go into the dead manuscript repository. In the following years, I wrote and read and studied and was incredibly blessed in 2008 to have two of my manuscripts final in Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart awards for unpublished romance fiction. Still, neither of those manuscripts sold. God was waiting for me to write for Him. The moment I heeded His call, everything fell in place, and Soaring Home, my debut novel, became a reality.

2. When you were a child did you have a favourite book or books?

Absolutely. I loved the Oz books and C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. I read each one of the seven Narnia books at least ten times, and I still pick them up on occasion. These books are so imaginative, and yet the language is clear and uncluttered. Nothing gets in the way of the story.

3. Do you have a favourite Genre to both read and write?

Of course I love anything historical. When I was young, I adored books about England's kings and queens. These days I gravitate to anything historical, both for reading and in writing. Did I mention I love Jane Austen? And Love Inspired Historicals cover so many time periods that I'm in heaven!

4. Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?

I can't discount the influence of the classic romance authors like Victoria Holt, Jean Plaidy, and Mary Stewart. They were staples of my early reading, but I most wanted to write like C.S. Lewis. I loved the simplicity of the storytelling coupled with the depth of meaning. And of course Jane Austen.

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

When I was twelve I wrote my first "novel." At least that's what I called it. In reality, it was nothing more than notebook pages and scraps of paper that I kept in a shoebox. I jotted these little notes when I was supposed to be paying attention in class. Oops, now that secret's out! Of course life led me in different directions for a few decades. I recommitted to writing in 2000, but it wasn't until I joined Romance Writers of America in 2003 that I got serious enough to put in the hard work.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?

Read a lot, write a lot, and study craft. And then do it again and again and again. It was as difficult as getting a college degree, and I have a few of those, so I know what it takes. I had no idea that writing would take -- and continues to take -- that much work. On top of that add market research, lots of perseverence, and writer friends who support and encourage. To become an author, a person needs to love to write.

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

Ummm. I have no idea. I'm living my dream. Research librarian I guess. And then I'd write a book about it.

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

I love experiencing God's creation by hiking and kayaking and visiting new places. I've also been a librarian for eighteen years. Though I don't work directly with the books anymore, I love helping to bring great books to readers.

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

My husband and I travel repeatedly to Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. It's a wilderness park and part of an international peace park with Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park. I normally live in flatlands, so the mountains and wide open skies never fail to fill me with awe.

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and why?

My husband, friends or family, for they're the most important people in our lives.

Finally can you tell us about your current books and/or any that will

be coming out soon. Also where we can find you on the web.

SOARING HOME (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical) will be coming out in November of this year.

At the end of WWI, a small-town girl plans to make a big splash for women's rights by being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. All she needs is a plane, a co-pilot, and flight lessons.

Her prayers seem answered when a chauvinistic, though admittedly dashing, pilot lands in her hometown. The man blocks her every effort to make the grand flight, but she perseveres, sure she's following God's plan. God, however, has a way of turning the best-laid plans to his own surprising purposes.

Christine,I love your journey toward publication. The cover of "Soaring Home" is breath-taking!I, too, loved the tales of Kings & Queens in England. In fact, there's an old Aerosmith song about the allure of that time - I think the title is "Kings & Queens" A fun song. Best of everything to you, and I'm looking forward to reading "Soaring HOme".

Welcome, Christine, and congratulations on your debut novel. I love historical fiction and can't wait to read "Soaring Home." It sounds wonderful. I pray that God will grant you much success as an author. Barb

Great to see you here Kathleen, Barb, Toyin, and Carla. Thank you for stopping by and for your wonderful comments. :-) Ausjenny, a huge thank you for inviting me to be on your blog. It's been fun and a perfect escape on a cool and blustery day.